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Murder charge filed following fatal wreck
By Carey Phillips
Second-degree murder charges have been filed against a Sylva man following a fatal automobile accident Sunday evening.
Brian Christopher Pruitt, 22, of Dark Ridge Road, was in custody Monday afternoon at the Jackson County Detention Center with bond set at $75,000. He is also charged with driving while impaired and reckless driving, according to Trooper Denny Wood of the N.C. Highway Patrol.
Xavier Otter, 20, of Cherokee died from injuries received in the 5:25 p.m. accident on North River Road, Wood said. The wreck occurred near the Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority's wastewater treatment plant.
Pruitt was traveling east in when he lost control of a 1996 Jeep Cherokee. The vehicle struck a large oak tree and overturned down an embankment, according to the trooper.
Xavier Otter and Tyler Lehman, 17, of Mockingbird Lane, Sylva, were ejected from the vehicle, Wood said. Kerry Hawk Otter, 18, of Route 1, Whittier, was pinned in the vehicle and had to be extricated by the Jackson County Rescue Squad, according to Wood.
Kerry Otter was airlifted to Mission Hospitals in Asheville. As of Monday afternoon, he was listed in serious condition.
Pruitt and Lehman were both treated and released at Harris Regional Hospital, Wood said.
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